Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus using fuel gas supplied from an external fuel gas supply device.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, progress has been made on practical use of a fuel cell vehicle to which air including oxygen, which is an oxidant gas, and hydrogen, which is a fuel gas, are supplied, wherein the air and the hydrogen gas cause electrode reaction in a fuel cell to generate electrical power for driving a motor to move the vehicle. A fuel cell vehicle is provided with a hydrogen tank for reserving hydrogen gas and supplying hydrogen to a fuel cell. Further, a meter indicating the remaining amount of hydrogen gas currently reserved in the hydrogen tank is provided beside the driver's seat of the fuel cell vehicle. When the remaining amount of the hydrogen gas reserved in the hydrogen tank has become small as a result of the drive of the fuel cell vehicle, a driver who is aware of this state by a view of the meter drives and moves the fuel cell vehicle to a hydrogen supply station. Then, hydrogen is supplied (dispensed) into the hydrogen tank of the fuel cell vehicle by a hydrogen supply device provided at the hydrogen supply station.
When hydrogen is supplied to the hydrogen tank of the fuel cell vehicle, the fuel cell vehicle performs communication (hereinafter referred to as dispensing communication) with the dispenser of the hydrogen station. That is, the fuel cell vehicle transmits information on the temperature, the pressure, and the like of the hydrogen having been dispensed into the hydrogen tank, and the dispenser adjusts the pressure, the flow rate, the flow speed, and the like in supplying hydrogen, based on the information received from the fuel cell vehicle.
In Patent Document 1 (JP 2010-198944 A), described is a technology by which an infrared communication device is provided at a hydrogen supply inlet (hydrogen dispensing inlet) on a vehicle side, and when a lid (fuel lid) is opened, an ECU (Electric Control Unit) obtains information on the pressure and the temperature of hydrogen in a hydrogen supply pipe and transfers this information to an external hydrogen supply device (dispenser) via the infrared communication device. According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, as a lid switch is unnecessary, it is possible to downsize the lid.
In the technology disclosed by Patent Document 1, the ECU monitors the pressure and the temperature in the hydrogen supply pipe, and when the pressure in the hydrogen supply pipe becomes higher than or equal to a predetermined pressure, the ECU transmits a signal to complete dispensing communication. Accordingly, by the technology described in Patent Document 1, even in a case that the fuel cell vehicle is left for a long time in a state that the lid is opened, the ECU continues to obtain information on the pressure and the temperature of the hydrogen in the hydrogen supply pipe and transmits the information to the external hydrogen supply device via the infrared communication device unless the ECU transmits the signal for completion. Consequently, by the technology described in Patent Document 1, when the fuel cell vehicle is left in a state that the lid is opened, the amount of charge of a battery gradually decreases as time elapses.
Accordingly, by the technology described in Patent Document 1, in case that the fuel cell vehicle is left for a long time in a state that the lid is opened, it is possible that the amount of charge of the battery drops, and the air compressor and the like cannot be operated due to an associated drop in the discharge capacity of the battery when the fuel cell starts operation, which disables starting up of the fuel cell vehicle (in other words, the battery runs out.)